As the search for missing Lancashire teenager Jay Slater continues into its second week, his family and friends have had to contend with online trolls amid their distressing quest to bring the beloved bricklayer home.
Jay, a 19 year old from Oswaldtwistle, last made contact on Monday June 17, when he called a friend to say he was lost, in need of water and had only one per cent battery left after a night out in Tenerife.
Before his phone died, his last known location was near Rural de Teno Park, which has been the focus of the extensive search efforts to locate him.
Despite seven days of rigorous searching involving police officers, mountain rescue teams, drones, fire service personnel and sniffer dogs, Jay remains missing.
As Jay’s absence extends, his distraught family and friends are holding onto hope for positive news.
However, this hasn’t deterred malicious trolls from speculating about his fate online or sharing false posts designed to exacerbate the pain of his anxious family.
One such fraudulent post, circulating on TikTok and purporting to be from the administrator of the official Facebook group set up to find Jay, ‘Rachel Lousie Harg’, falsely claimed that Jay’s body had been found and blamed ‘Moroccans’ for the crime – a claim the real Rachel was compelled to refute on social media, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Rachel shared a screenshot of the post and exclaimed: “This isn’t me! ! ! ! This is NOT true, ” accompanied by several broken heart emojis.
The incident sadly isn’t isolated, as Rachel has condemned the “sick” individuals spreading falsehoods that could potentially disrupt the search.
She described the ordeal as “absolutely soul destroying” and drew attention to the toll the fabrications are taking on Jay’s mother Debbie, who is “absolutely broken” by these allegations.
Contrary to the malicious rumours, the search for Jay is still very much active. Spanish authorities are diligently pursuing all leads with the aim of locating the missing apprentice bricklayer and bringing him back to his family.
